In the magical playground of Krishna - the land of Braj, Holi is celebrated with a gusto that is unmatched anywhere else in India.

Breakaway in association with Tazurba International presents a curated journey designed to give you a flavour of some of the varied events of Holi in this dev-bhumi (land of the gods), focusing on the celebrations in Mathura, Barsana and Vrindavan.

The place of Vrindavan in ancient Indian history is golden. Thoughts of Vrindavan promptly bring images of young playful Krishna, his gwala friends (cowherds) and dancing gopis. Many stories have been told of Krishna and his childish escapades, his love for butter and his romance with the gopis, particularly Radha.

While Vrindavan is synonymous with Krishna's youthful pastimes, it is also rich in cultural heritage and retains several ancient traditions. The most fascinating among them, is the grand celebration of Holi, here the festival has its own beautiful interpretation.

Here this widely popular festival of colors, has a much deeper significance. In Vrindavan, Holi is celebrated as a festival of divine love between Radha and Krishna.

Holi in Braj carries on for more than 10 days. Holi celebrations are centred around the opposition, and change in power equations between the male as embodied in Krishna and the female, as embodied in Radha.

Our 2-day tour of Mathura and Vrindavan will allow us the darshan of several forms of Krishna. We will also discover the syncretic architectural traditions of Vrindavan. In addition to visiting old and new temples, we will also explore street life, ghats (by the Yamuna), architecture, food, and the markets of the bustling temple towns of Mathura & Vrindavan holi tour.

Thousands of people gather to witness the LathMaar Holi when women beat up men with lath(Sticks) as those on the sidelines become hysterical, sing Holi Songs and shout Sri Krishna and Sri Radhey. The 'Lathmaar Holi festival' begins with a big ceremony at the Radha Rani temple. After the ceremony gops then march out of the temple on the Rangeeli Gali where they stop to play holi with the gopis, who stand in groups along both side of street.

We get to watch the celebrations from a rooftop specially arranged for the group. In the evening, we go for a brief walking tour through the narrow lanes of CHHATTA BAZAAR to discover the living traditions, history and secrets of this busy and seemingly chaotic town. Participate in evening Aarti of Jamuna river and enjoy a Sitar recital by maestro Shri Raju Pathak, specially organized for us on a boat , we ride on the Yamuna river.

The next day in Vrindavan will be an exploration to discover the syncretic architectural traditions of Vrindavan. An opportunity to participate in Vrindavan's famous Phoolon ki Holi where the divine couple and their devotees are drenched in the nectar of flowers to celebrate Holi !